By John Wyckoff
The famed motorcycle designer, Arlen Ness and I were chatting at a trade show recently. Our subject was what was "cool." Arlen reminded me that a few decades ago if you had a Harley-Davidson in your garage that alone made you cool. "Not any longer," he told me. "Now Harley-Davidson is just another bike. They lost their 'cool'."
There are new players in the motorcycle "cool" market. Big Dog Motorcycles and American IronHorse are two of the biggest "cool" bike makers. Big Dog Motorcycles have produced over 10,000 bikes and American IronHorse a bit under that. The big question is what's happening? Why the paradigm shifts?
Here's what I see. First, the Alpha buyer, those leading edge buyers, got to have the coolest, baddest, biggest.... They don't want a bike that looks like anyone else's. They want to stand out in the crowd. Even in a crowd of fellow bikers. They've concluded you can't do that on a stock Harley and even a custom Harley really doesn't cut it. An old friend of mine is responsible for most of the growth of American IronHorse. His name is Bob Kay, and he knows more about V-twin motorcycles and their owners than most of the folks at the Harley factory. His company makes bikes that "start where Harley leaves off." Their engines are bigger, the rear tires wider, the paint unbelievably complex and graphic, with raked forks, polished alloy wheels and a mass of machined billet parts. The prices start where Harley-Davidson leaves off too.
When I visited Big Dog Motorcycles last year and photographed the bikes ready to be shipped to dealers I was impressed by the fact that of the hundreds staged in the shipping area there were NO TWO ALIKE. High tech abounds in both manufacturers. Electronics are state-of-the-art. Teams of artists and dedicated technicians create the one-off paintwork. Both these companies occupy the narrow, top of the pyramid of custom bikes.
Why all the interest? Bike build-offs and custom choppers shown on Discovery and Speed Channel on cable TV have attracted millions of viewers. They show the creation of one-off bikes while the viewer watches. They show the camaraderie and accessibility of the bikers and the creators. They make the viewer want to be a part of this unique world.
The bike shows are like reality TV, only ... more real. What you don't see are the prices. The bikes they produce are in the six-figure range and are more artwork than roadwork.
The "Chopper" is having a rebirth. Why? They're cool. No, I'm not a chopper guy. I like creature comforts like a suspension system that works on both the front and rear of the bike, a seat that allows me to ride long distances and a riding position that doesn't cause pain. I'm not alone. American IronHorse, Big Dog Motorcycles and other entrants like Viper, also make a limited number of very comfortable, very high quality, high-performance V-twin bikes.
From a marketing perspective these two companies (and soon several more) are like Ferrari and Lamborghini; high priced, high performance, attention getters. They too are in short supply. Big Dog Motorcycles and American IronHorse tell me they are sold out through the spring of 2005.
Is this concept new? No, it's not. Baton Advertising Handbook published by Prentice-Hall back in 1950, talks about a success formula by dealing in the fringe area of the mass market with a unique product. That's what these two companies do and why they are successful. By the way, this book remains my marketing bible.
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